06/10/2020
Do we think of ourselves as a worthy treasure to be presented to God? Are we inclined to consider that we are like gold, silver, or fine jewels that He is eager to have refined, cut, or molded, and placed in His treasure chest, to be displayed with pride? Well, God does value us, and he does refine us, but not as we might think, He doesn’t purify us simply by education, works, or charm school, but in the furnace of our affliction. The spiritual worthiness that He sees in us is like a faint line of gold in a predominately dark stone... and we must be crushed into submission before it can be released, and purified.
“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.”
Isaiah 48:10 ESV
When we are being doused time and time again into the fire of life’s affliction, do we consider it excessive punishment? Do we see ourselves as being so righteous, perfect, and deserving, that God must be out of His mind to allow us to be tormented in this way... is He being vicious, or has He made some kind of mistake? Are we just too aloof, and valuable to be treated in such a fashion? Well, it is that exact pride, boastfulness, and love of self, that God is using affliction to remove. Until we are brought low by suffering; until we let our pride go, and place only the humble self that runs through us like that fine line of gold through the dark rock of our sinful selves; only then will God’s furnace of affliction have done its job. Only then can we be further purified, and worked into something valuable by Christ, the jeweler, and made acceptable by the Holy Spirit’s skilled work. Only then are we ready for the revealing eye of the Lord.
“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.”
1 Corinthians 3:12-13 ESV
God doesn’t allow affliction to have its way with us because he detests us, and it is no mistake. The time we spend in the furnace of affliction is an act of love, meant to ready us for our day of judgement. In this way we are made like Jesus... perfect, and released from the impurities of sin. This must happen before we can be embraced by God in eternity.
“If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
1 Corinthians 3:14-15 ESV
It takes great effort to extract pride and self-centeredness from a person, and humility is a very difficult lesson. The time we spend in this fiery kiln is painful, but the reward, when we are at last poured out before God, or presented as a fine jewel, far outweighs any suffering we might have endured. Are we ready to embrace life’s suffering, tribulation, and affliction, when it comes? Are we prepared to let go of that selfish man in us, and claim the perfect humility of Christ?
“The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”
2 Timothy 2:11-13 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your love which is so strong that it pains itself in our affliction as we are perfected. Thank you for your love that is so deeply rooted that you offered your only begotten Son Jesus to redeem us. Help us Heavenly Father to see our afflictions as your saving grace, and your presence in our tribulation to be our joy, as we are made humble before you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who doesn’t spare the rod as you prepare us for judgement, but endures that pain as we do, while perfecting us through Christ. Praised be your name in the sting of life’s whip, the piercing pain of its nails, and the cleaving away of our pride, and sin. Great are you in patience as you endure the sight of our affliction over and over again. Gracious are you who is merciful, and walks this path with us, sinners, as we seek to become worthy of eternal life with you. Hear our prayers of thanksgiving, and our begging for forgiveness as we weep in heartfelt contrition, and humbly cry in the midst of our suffering. Make us more like Christ Each day, and draw us closer to you in each season of affliction. Don’t spare your rod Father, and prepare us now, for a life with you forevermore.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV
Rich Forbes